


Bunny Socks

by octopus_fool



Series: Yuletide Cheer [23]
Category: The Hobbit - All Media Types
Genre: Fluff, Humor, M/M, Socks
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-17
Updated: 2018-12-17
Packaged: 2019-09-21 06:51:38
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,220
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17038841
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/octopus_fool/pseuds/octopus_fool
Summary: Fíli has never seen anything as charming as Ori's bunny socks. And they are wonderfully warm too.





	Bunny Socks

**Author's Note:**

> Written for day 17 of [Arda Advent](http://ardaprompts.tumblr.com/post/180626386876/join-me-in-creating-wintery-fanworks-about), the prompt was "cold feet".

“What’s that you are wearing?” Kíli asked, clearly trying not to laugh.

“Socks?” Ori deadpanned.

“Well, I can see that much,” Kíli replied. “But what’s on them?”

Fíli looked at Ori’s feet and was torn between laughing and melting to a puddle of goo.

“Bunnies,” Ori replied, looking Kíli straight in the eyes. “They are warm and they make me happy when I take my boots off in the evening. Do you have a problem with that?”

Dori and Nori were watching Kíli very carefully.

Kíli was sometimes more clever than he usually showed. “Um, no, of course not. They’re just rather, um, cute to be worn by a warrior, aren’t they?”

“Yes,” Ori agreed and went back to writing his notes about the day.

Now, Fíli might have had a bit of a crush before, but that was the moment he really fell in love with Ori, bunny socks and all.

 

It was freezing. They may have escaped from the storm giants, but as far as Fíli was concerned, they were probably going to freeze to death. He could barely feel his toes and his feet slowly seemed to be turning into clumps of ice. 

As it turned out, Fíli wasn’t the only one with that problem.

“Hey Ori,” Dwalin called out, “do you have any more of those socks you are wearing?”

“Yes. Do you want to borrow a pair?”

Dwalin nodded. “They look nice and warm.”

“But they have _bunnies_ on them,” Glóin pointed out.

“I also have some with kittens, puppies, colourful birds or cheerful vegetables,” Ori suggested.

“That’s not any better,” Kíli said.

Dwalin shrugged. “As long as they’re warm, I don’t care.” He considered for a moment. “I think I’ll take the ones with the puppies, if that’s alright.”

“Sure,” Ori replied, tossing the pair over.

“And I always thought you were a real warrior,” Glóin ribbed.

“A real warrior knows that having toes is more important than trivialities,” Dwalin said, pulling on the socks.

Kíli laughed. “Look, I think the puppies are starting to make him use big words.”

“Ori, could I also borrow a pair?” Fíli asked.

“Of course. Which ones do you want?”

“I don’t know, you choose,” Fíli said, feeling a blush starting to rise to his face.

Ori tossed him a pair with bunnies. Fíli could feel the blush rise to his face, and it had nothing to do with the fact that Kíli immediately started teasing him for wearing bunnies and everything to do with Ori choosing the ones he himself was wearing for Fíli. And they were heavenly warm too.

“I’ll take the ones with the funny vegetables,” Thorin said.

Kíli groaned. “Why does my entire family insist on making fools of themselves?”

 

From the stories Fíli had always heard, Erebor was the most comfortable place on earth. There was always plenty of food, no danger, it was always warm and the walls shone golden. 

The exiles must have glorified it just a little bit. It was getting better in regards to food and security and Fíli didn’t care much about the colour of the walls anyway. It was also warm enough in front of a fireplace. The problem was just that the floors were _icy_. 

The perhaps biggest problem was that nobody was willing to admit that there even was a problem. Every time Fíli only hinted at the possibility that Erebor had a few flaws that _might_ prevent it from being as comfortable as it could be, he got death glares from everybody around.

And it wasn’t as if his toes were in danger of freezing off, in which case he could have asked Ori to lend him a pair of his delightful socks again. No, it was just cold enough for Fíli’s feet to feel uncomfortable. Really uncomfortable. 

 

Luck came to Fíli’s aid. He discovered that his feelings for Ori were requited and didn’t hesitate to act on this new discovery. And so it happened that Ori moved into Fíli’s chambers quite soon, and because luck was feeling particularly friendly towards Fíli, Ori’s collection of thick, cheerful socks moved in with him. 

The only problem was that Fíli still couldn’t ask if he could borrow some socks. It would still mean admitting that Erebor’s floors were uncomfortably cold and it might seem as if Fíli only wanted Ori for his socks. So Fíli could only watch Ori wearing his wonderful socks – and then nick a pair once Ori left for the library.

 

“Have you seen my pink socks with the bunnies on them recently?” Ori asked, digging through his sock drawer. 

“No... I don’t think so,” Fíli replied. He hadn’t seen them, not recently. At least not since this morning, when he had put them on. 

“That’s strange,” Ori said, “because then they have to be here somewhere.”

Ori continued searching and Fíli slunk away, feeling very guilty indeed. He left the socks where they weren’t too out of place but where Ori would find them soon. Fíli didn’t dare to steal another pair the next day.

 

“Ugh, you have icy feet!” Ori exclaimed as Fíli climbed into bed the next evening and brushed against Ori’s legs with his feet accidentally. 

“Do I?” Fíli asked, pressing his feet against Ori’s warm shins, both to tease him and to get his feet a little warmer. 

“Yes! Stop that!” Ori squealed. He jumped out of bed and disappeared from the bedroom. 

“I’m sorry! I’ll stop, I didn’t mean to...” Fíli called after him, feeling rather guilty.

“I know you didn’t, and I’ll be right back. Stay there!” 

Ori was back in less than a minute. He was carrying a hot stone, which he deposited in the foot end of the bed. 

“Warm your feet with that, we don’t want you to catch a cold.” Ori went rummaging through his sock drawer. “Bunnies, puppies or vegetables?”

“Bunnies, please,” Fíli said, blissfully warming his feet on the hot stone. 

A pair of socks hit him in the face. “There, that’s what you get for not saying you have cold feet,” Ori said. “You’ve been stealing my socks, haven’t you?”

“Yes... and I’m very sorry about it,” Fíli mumbled as he pulled on the bunny socks. 

“Why didn’t you just _ask_?!” Ori climbed back into bed.

“I was too embarrassed.”

“About the bunnies?”

“No, everybody always acts like I’m committing a crime if I only suggest that Erebor has slightly chilly floors.”

Ori laughed and pressed a kiss onto Fíli’s nose. “And that’s your great secret, the reason you are driven to theft?”

“I did give them back,” Fíli mumbled.

“I know, don’t worry about it. I’m just trying to understand your logic in this,” Ori said, pulling Fíli into his arms and stroking Fíli’s hair. “You know what, I’ll make you some socks of your own. I just bought some nice, thick wool. What kind of socks would you like? Blue ones?”

Fíli nodded. “Yes, blue.” He hesitated for a moment before mumbling “and with bunnies.”

“I can make you socks without cute animals or other silly motives. It’s complete alright if you think they are a bit embarrassing.”

Fíli shook his head. “No, I like the bunnies. I’d really like some bunnies on my socks as well.”

Ori giggled and pulled Fíli close for a long kiss.


End file.
